Athletic supporter



July 26, 1932. c. K. LANE ATHLETIC SUPPORTER Filed Feb. 9, 1932 Patented July 26, 19 32 UNITED STATES CHARLES K. LANE, OF ROCKLAND, MASSACHUSETTS ATHLETIC SUPPORTER Application filed February 9, 1932. Serial No. 591,792.

This invention relates to protective devices known as athletic supporters and worn chiefly by athletes to protect certain body members.

The object is to provide a supporter affording suitable protection and adapted to be worn with a maximum degree of comfort to the wearer, and particularly to provide a supporter adapted to obviate all liability of chafing surfaces of the wearers crotch.

f the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification,

Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a rear view and a side View showing my improved supporter in its operative position on the wearers body.

Figure 3 shows the supporter in perspective in the form it is caused to assume when in use.

Figure 4 shows the supporter in a loose condition and arranged to show the under side of the crotch pad hereinafter described.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the piece constituting the crotch pad.

Figure 6 is a top plan view showing the upper side of the crotch pad, a portion of the pouch and portions of the buttock straps attached to the crotch pad.

Figure 7 is a section on line 7-7 of Figure 6.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the figures.

12 designates a waist band adapted to surround the wearers waist, and. preferably composed of elastic webbing adapted to be contracted by its elasticity, on the waist, the band being horizontally elastic. Depending from the front portion of the band is a pouch, composed of two sections 13, 13, united by a vertical seam 14;, the sections being formed so that the pouch has a vertically elongated recessed inner side, the lower ends of the sections 13 being turned inward and united to close the lower end of the recess formed by the inner sides of the sections, and thus enable the pouch to support against downward movement, a body member projecting into its recessed side. The sections 13 are composed of elastic webbing adapted to be contracted by its elasticity to press the closed lower end of the recess upwardly, being vertically elastic.

1515 designates buttock straps depending from opposite side portions of the waistband, and composed of elastic webbing, the straps being longitudinally elastic.

The lower end of the pouch and the lower ends of the strap 15 are connected with each other by an oblong pad composed of a single piece of flexible compressible sheet material preferably wool felt in sheet form, the normal thickness of the felt being preferably approximately three sixteenths of an inch.

The pad includes a narrow forward end portion 16 united by stitches 17 to the lower end of the pouch, and a wide rear end portion 18 whose rear extremity projects rearwardly from the wearers crotch when the supporter is in use, and is formed to bridge the lower portion of the rump crevice 19 between the buttocks 20, and overlap the lower portions of the buttocks, shown by F igure 1.

The rear extremity of the rear end portion 18 has opposite edge portions, overlapping the lower endsof the straps 15, and constituting tabs which are united to the straps by seams at 22, 22, which are located wholly outside the crotch and the rump crevice 19, and bear only on the lower portions of the buttocks as shown by Figure 1.

It will be seen by reference to the drawing, that the straps 15, the pad, and rear portion 18 of the pad, are so proportioned that when the supporter is in use the rear portion 18 bridges the lower portion of the wearers rump crease, and the seams 22 uniting said rear portion to the straps 15, bear only on the buttocks which are not movable relative to each other to the same extent as are the legs, and are therefore not liable to be chafed by said seams.

It will also be seen that the upper side of the pad between the seams 22 and the forward end of the pad present a smooth nonchafing surface to the crotch sides and to the lower and inner portions of the rump crease sides.

The arrangement is therefore such that no the pouch surface of the Wearers body is liable to be chafed by the supporter.

The longitudinal edges 16 of the narrow forward end portion 16 are preferably turned inward upon the under side of said portion, and secured thereto by stitches 24, as shown by Figures 6 and 7, to form rounded and thickened edges 25 adapted to bear yieldingly on the crotch sides, and reinforce the end portion 16 and thereby prevent it from stretching longitudinally.

lVhen the supporter is in use, the waistband, the pouch, and the buttock straps, are elongated and tensioned, so that they closely and yieldingly fit the body surfaces and press the crotch pad yieldingly against the wearers crotch and against the lower portions of the buttocks.

The arrangement is such that the thigh receiving openings bounded by the waistband, the pouch, the crotch pad, and the buttock straps, are expanded when the supporter is in use, the straps 15 conforming naturally and comfortably to the curvature of the buttocks without exerting uncomfortable indenting pressure thereon.

I claim:

1. An athletic supporter comprising an elastic waistband, an elastic pouch depending from the front portion of the waistband, elastic buttock straps depending from the side portions of said band, and an oblong crotch pad composed of a piece of flexible compressible sheet material having a narrow forward end portion attached to the lower end of the pouch, and a wide rear end portion attached by seams to the lower ends of the buttock straps, the arrangement being such that when the supporter is in use said rear portion bridges the lower portion of the wearers rump crease, and the seams uniting said rear portion of the straps bear only on the buttocks, the upper side of the pad between said seams and the forward end of the pad presenting a smooth non-chafing surface to the crotch sides and to the lower and inner port-ions of the rump crease sides, the thigh receiving openings bounded by the waistband, the pouch, the crotch pad, and the buttock straps being expanded and the straps conforming naturally to the curvature of the buttocks without exerting uncomfortable indenting pressure thereon.

2. An athletic supporter as specified by claim 1, the longitudinal edges of the narrow forward end portion being turned inward upon the under side of said portion and stitched thereto to reinforce said end portion, and form rounded and thickened edges thereon adapted to bear yieldingly on the crotch sides.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

CHARLES K. LANE. 

